J&K has been without an elected government since June 2018. (File)
Srinagar:
The Center is likely today to provide the Supreme Court with a timetable for the restoration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, more than four years after the state was converted into a Union territory.
Advocate General of India Tushar Mehta will make a statement before a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing a series of pleas against the repeal of Article 370, under which Jammu and Kashmir had special constitutional status.
On Tuesday, Mr Mehta had told the top court that he will make a “positive statement” on Thursday after being asked to accept instructions from the government and return with a timetable for the state’s restoration.
“I have been given instructions. The instructions are that the Union Territory (of Jammu and Kashmir) is not a permanent feature. The day after tomorrow I will make a positive statement. Ladakh remains a UT,” he had told the court.
A five-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud holds daily hearings on petitions.
At its latest hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court stressed the need to restore democracy to J&K, which has been without an elected government since June 2018.
“Can you convert a state into a UT? And can a UT be cut out of a state. And when elections could be held? This must end… give us the specific time frame when you will restore the state real democracy. We want to record this,” the court had told Mr Mehta.
While acknowledging concerns about national security, the chief justice also urged the restoration of democracy in the region, which has been governed directly by the central government since 2018.
The Attorney General and Attorney General are among the battery of senior lawyers defending the Centre’s decision, while senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Rajeev Dhavan and several other top lawyers appear before the petitioners.
So far, the core of the arguments has been whether due process was followed in revoking Article 370 and dividing the state into two union territories: J&K and Ladakh.
Ladakh leaders and petitioners have expressed their disappointment with the Advocate General’s statement that Ladakh will remain a Union territory. The past two years have seen massive protests in Ladakh demanding a statehood for the region.
After the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019, the Modi government had assured that it would restore state status at an appropriate time. Home Minister Amit Shah has reiterated the same, but no deadline has been set for such a move.
